Ryan Leaf

Fans would flock to see their beloved Chargers, first at Balboa Stadium and then in Mission Valley, at the stadium once affectionately known as The Murph.

The Bolts gave San Diego an identity of being more than just a sleepy Navy town, from the distinctive lightning bolt logo on their helmets to the powder blue jerseys in the early years to the players who ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Every catch by Lance "Bambi" Alworth was graceful. Every pass by Dan Fouts had the potential to be a big one. Every big hit by Junior Seau seemingly could be felt in the upper deck.

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Sunday afternoons in San Diego used to be something special. Fans would flock to see their beloved Chargers, first at Balboa Stadium and then in Mission Valley, at the stadium once affectionately known as The Murph.The Bolts gave San Diego an identity...

Johnny Manziel urged the Cleveland Browns to draft him in 2014, saying he wanted to "wreck this league." All Manziel did in two NFL seasons was wreck his opportunity. He was officially released by the Browns Friday. Is there another team willing to...

CHICAGO — Character counts.But how much?That question will be on display Thursday night, when the first round of the NFL draft unfurls in prime time before a national TV audience.Several of the top college prospects are considered character risks,...

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When Dr. Brian Hainline learned about the apparent suicide of another college athlete, it hit hard. Again. No, he didn't know Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski. But he's heard such stories far too often. The NCAA's first chief medical officer...

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My wife attended the University of Arizona. So you can imagine my disappointment upon reading expert prognosticator Bill “It Just Feels Right to Pick the Falcons to Win the Super Bowl” Plaschke's choice of U of A to win the NCAA tournament.
Too bad,...

Madness, yes. March, not so much.
The third-ranked UCLA basketball team was rudely shoved into the NCAA tournament Friday night with a Pac-12 tournament exit one day too early and dozens of shots too short.
The regressing Bruins lost to relentless...

It's the best worst NFL game of the weekend.
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My longest running addiction is in its 30s now, and I used to refrain from discussing it publicly until about a decade ago. That's when I would walk into the Rangers clubhouse in, say, early June, and Michael Young would ask, "What are the Browns doing...

Football is a game of misdirection, bluffing and disguise.
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Much will change during the next month as...

The NFL's image has taken a beating in recent years with the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, ongoing questions about player head injuries, its stance toward domestic violence and, of course, "Deflategate."
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Ryan Leaf, the No. 2 overall draft pick in the 1998 NFL draft behind Peyton Manning, was released Wednesday from a Montana prison after serving more than two years for felony drug possession and burglary.
In 2012, Leaf, who was already on probation in...

First in a series exploring the April 26-28 NFL draft. Next: Running backs.
If Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III live up to their grades, the 2012 draft will be remembered as one of the best ever for quarterbacks. The last time two quarterbacks were...